Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
QB Draw out of Empty Base Flex lines up in Shotgun with 11 personnel, showing five eligible receivers spread wide (two to the left, three to the right) with no running back in the backfield to disguise the run look. The offensive line sells pass protection for a beat before opening a lane up the middle, and the QB delays his drop before tucking it and running downhill through the vacated interior gap. This is a designed QB run built to exploit aggressive pass rushers and light boxes rather than a man or zone beater through the air, so the primary read is simply hitting the crease as the interior blockers climb to the second level.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check for a light box or nickel/dime personnel that suggests the defense is playing pass first out of respect for the empty formation. Watch for defensive tackles who consistently get upfield penetration rather than holding their gap, since that is exactly the rush lane this play attacks. Identify any defender assigned as a designated QB spy or a linebacker sitting in a hook zone, as this is the primary threat that shuts down the draw before it develops. Man coverage with aggressive off-ball linebackers biting on the fake pass rush creates the most explosive running lanes. Zone coverage shells like Cover 3 or Cover 4 with disciplined interior defensive linemen holding their gaps and linebackers reading the mesh point will limit this play to minimal gains.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or in obvious passing situations like 2nd and 7 or 3rd and short when the defense expects a quick game or empty pass concept.
Check the box count pre-snap. If the defense has only four or five defenders in the box because they are respecting the five wide receivers, this is a green light to run it.
Use the empty backfield look to bait aggressive edge rushers and blitzing linebackers into upfield rushes, since their vacated gaps become your running lanes.
Pair this with RPO Q Stick Draw or RPO Alert Draw Stick from the same set so the defense has to respect both the draw action and the quick passing game off similar formations.
Avoid calling this into stacked fronts or when defenders are showing spy responsibilities on the quarterback, since a disciplined defensive tackle or spy linebacker can blow this up immediately.
